December 4, 2023
Women value their work-life balance much more than men do when at a junior-level on average, but not at the managerial-level, according to new research by Durham University Business School. The researchers also found that women on the whole were much less satisfied within their job roles than male colleagues who held the same positions. (more…)
November 29, 2023
The current economic environment is creating challenges for investors and occupiers to make the case for investing in retrofitting and futureproofing their real estate. JLL’s new The Commercial Case for Making Buildings More Sustainable report outlines three key factors that should be prioritized in occupiers’ and owners’ decision-making to create a more resilient and sustainable built environment. (more…)
November 29, 2023
Nearly one year after ChatGPT burst into the public consciousness, generative AI (GenAI) has left employees and their organisations both excited and uneasy. According to a recent study [registration] commissioned by Betterworks and conducted by Propeller Insights, over half of employees are using GenAI at work for complex activities and believe it has the potential to reduce bias across a swath of HR processes, despite the fact that only 41 percent of organisations are actively evaluating it or have made GenAI a priority. At the same time, many employees are concerned about the potential impact of GenAI on both their roles and the possibility of unintentional amplification of bias. (more…)
November 28, 2023
Over half of UK based ‘deskless’ workers (51 per cent) say they’re viewed as expendable by their employer. Plus, almost a third (32 per cent), feel that their corporate, desk-based colleagues regard them as inferior. These are the findings from O.C. Tanner’s 2024 Global Culture Report which gathered data and insights from more than 42,000 employees, leaders, HR practitioners, and executives from 27 countries worldwide including 4,818 from the U.K (of which 1,734 are deskless). (more…)
November 28, 2023
A new survey claims that a significant number of working parents are finding it so difficult to juggle home and work responsibilities that they have considered leaving their job. The OnePoll survey [registration] of 2,000 working parents with children aged 18 or under commissioned by REC Parenting, an online platform offering support to parents and carers, revealed that many working parents are at breaking point. (more…)
November 27, 2023
Originally published six years ago, this feature is currently the most read story ever on the website with around 50,000 readers. A global study by my own firm Steelcase has found that one-third of workers across 17 of the world’s most important economies are actually disengaged. The findings make worrying reading for employers around the world, as engagement is so demonstrably linked to business critical outcomes such as employee retention, productivity and even profits. It certainly raises the question of what more can be done, including in terms of workplace design, to boost engagement levels amongst these employees. (more…)
November 23, 2023
Nearly two million workers in Great Britain reported suffering from work-related ill health in 2022/23, according the latest annual statistical report from the UK’s Health and Safety Executive. The statistics reveal that 1.8 million workers reported they were suffering from work-related ill health in 2022/23, with approximately half of the cases down to stress, depression or anxiety. In the recent years prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the rate of self-reported work-related ill health had been broadly flat, but the current rate is higher than 2018/19. (more…)
November 12, 2023
According to new research by Marsh, an insurance broker and risk advisor, companies across the UK are most concerned about the impact of financial uncertainty (34 percent), employee health and wellbeing (31 percent) and supply chain disruption (23 percent) on their businesses over the next 12 months. The findings come from Marsh’s UK Business Risk Report 2023 [registration], which features data obtained in May and June 2023 from over 2,100 UK businesses with turnover of between £100,000 and £500 million + per year. Now in its third year, the report explores how circumstances over the last 12 months have impacted the business risk appetite and approach to risk management among UK companies, and identifies their priorities for the year ahead. (more…)
November 7, 2023
![Gallup has published its 2023 Gallup Global Emotions report [registration] – a study of employee sentiment in the UK workforce](https://workplaceinsight.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/frustration-7505960_1280.png)
Gallup has published its 2023 Gallup Global Emotions report [registration] – a study of employee sentiment in the UK workforce. According to the report’s Negative Experience Index, which tracks how many people experience daily sadness, anger, stress, worry, and physical pain, full-time UK employees are experiencing historically high levels of daily negative experiences. This latest Gallup data claims that full-time UK employees scored a 32 on Gallup’s Negative Experience Index. This is up substantially from 23 in 2020. Full-time employees in the UK are now some of the most emotionally distressed in Europe, second only to employees in Malta. (more…)
November 6, 2023
A new poll of workplace leaders suggests there is an environment of unconscious fear in modern-day leadership, leading to toxic culture, stunted growth, performance and productivity, and decision inertia. The global study of 2,500 emerging leaders in corporate businesses by consultant Margot Faraci, claims that around one quarter (23 percent) of UK leaders are unconsciously creating an environment of fear with direct reports. Globally, this figure rises to one in three (30 percent), indicating a growing worldwide phenomenon of fearful leadership. Fearful leadership carries significant implications for team morale, performance, and overall well-being within organisations. It’s often attributed to past experiences, creating an ongoing cycle of leadership driven by fear. (more…)
November 6, 2023
A formal notice has been issued to South Cambridgeshire District Council over its four-day working week trial, because the UK government says it wants ‘to ensure taxpayers’ money is well spent’. A Best Value Notice, issued by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, formally sets out government concerns around the council and whether the trial offers value for money, including the removal of up to a fifth of the authority’s capacity. It requests evidence on the trial to consider whether the council is meeting its Best Value Duty, including on: staffing; costs; service delivery; resident feedback; overall performance since the start of the trial; should a four-day working week continue. (more…)
November 29, 2023
Creating the epicentre: unlocking the untold benefits of next-generation office spaces
by Nathan Thomas • Comment, Flexible working, Property, Technology